Several police enquiry offices in Derbyshire will close by September

Michael Broomhead

Derbyshire Constabulary has announced the dates that several enquiry offices across the county will close.

In January, the force announced plans to reduce front counter services from 16 locations to four due to “changing finances and customer demand”.

The enquiry offices will close gradually over the coming months. By September, only the counters at Buxton, Chesterfield and Derby’s St Mary’s Wharf and Pear Tree police stations will remain open.

The closures are part of the force’s plans to make savings of up to £26million during the next five years.

On June 12, enquiry offices at Glossop, Matlock, Clay Cross, Bolsover, Long Eaton, Cotton Lane in Derby and Swadlincote will shut with Bakewell and Derby’s Assembly Rooms enquiry offices closing the following day.

By September 18, Ashbourne, Ripley and Ilkeston enquiry offices will shut with closure dates announced nearer the time.

Residents are being reminded of other ways that people can contact the force, such as using the non-emergency 101 number or by completing the ‘request a callback’ or ‘contact us’ form on the force website. By doing this, residents can access many services offered by the constabulary, including making a scheduled appointment with an officer.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Knighton said: “Enquiry offices are not visited as frequently as they once were and the majority of people now prefer to contact us by phone, email or via our website.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly but the savings that we will make through the closures will help the force to maintain other areas of policing that protect the public from harm.”

Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Charles said: “The funding cuts imposed by the Government mean that these closures are borne of necessity, not choice. We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on service delivery but with more cuts likely over the coming years it is clear that some further difficult decisions will have to be made.”

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